J S Bach and The German Motet
Cambridge University Press, 8/21/2008
EAN 9780521619769, ISBN10: 0521619769
Paperback, 248 pages, 24.6 x 18.9 x 1.4 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
The motets of J. S. Bach are probably the most sophisticated works ever composed in the genre. Nevertheless, Daniel Melamed maintains, the view that they constitute a body of work quite separate from the German motet tradition is mistaken. He starts by considering the eighteenth-century understanding of the term itself and finds that Bach's own use does indeed agree with his contemporaries and that his motets are rooted in the conventions of the time, particularly in matters of musical construction, performing forces, and type of text. A fresh look at the repertory shows that Bach composed motets all through his career and an appreciation of the contemporary conception of the motet sheds light on questions of how and why Bach himself used the form. Professor Melamed also finds plenty of evidence that motets and motet style played an important role in Bach's exploration of the musical past.
List of tables
List of music examples
List of figures
Preface
List of abbreviations
Introduction
Part I. The Term and Concept 'Motet'
1. The term 'motet' in the first half of the eighteenth century
2. J. S. Bach's use of the term 'motet'
Part II. Bach's Motets
3. Bach's motets and their relation to the genre
4. Bach's earlier motets
rethinking authorship and dating
5. Bach's later motets
rethinking compositional history
6. Chronology, style, and performance practice of Bach's motets
Part III. Motet Style in Bach's Concerted Compositions
7. The concept of the motet-like movement
8. Motet style in Bach's church cantatas
9. Motet style in Bach's Latin works and oratorios
10. Bach's use of motet style in concerted works
Part IV. Bach's Contact with Seventeenth-Century Motets
11. The history of the Altbachisches Archiv
12. J. S. Bach and the Altbachisches Archiv
13. Sebastian Knüpfer, 'Erforsche mich, Gott'
Appendix
Bibliography
Index of J. S. Bach's works
Index of manuscript music sources
General Index.